


Battles

by Kaiyoz



Series: Life Rolls On... The Series [5]
Category: Marvel (Comics), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bruce Is a Good Bro, Bruce is an adopted father, Clint Needs a Hug, Clint is a kid, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-12
Updated: 2014-10-12
Packaged: 2018-02-20 22:30:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2445491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaiyoz/pseuds/Kaiyoz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce picks his battles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Battles

**Author's Note:**

> This goes into my Life Rolls On series. It can be read alone but makes more sense in the context. 
> 
> This goes somewhere around Part 2 or 3.

Bruce still couldn’t quite believe his ears when he repeated his statement. Clint never fought him... at least not like this. He was always quick to do as Bruce said and quick to respond to a reprimand. 

“You need to eat your zucchini.”

“No,” Clint answered again, the blonde was quiet and sullen, staring at the wedges of squash. “I don’t like it.”

The brunette just glared. “You haven’t tried it.”

“It looks gross.”

Bruce sighed. “You haven’t tried it, looking gross does not mean it doesn’t taste good. Lasagna looks gross but you still eat it.”

“It smells bad.”

Bruce growled beneath his breath. He had had a long day having to deliberate his own research with the board of trustees, whom he thought were frankly a bunch of simpletons unworthy of evaluating him. He was now exhausted and had hoped to come home for a pleasant evening. Instead he had forgotten to grocery shop and had had to cook one of the lasagnas he had made and frozen early in the month.

Clint was busy frowning at the wedges of vegetables and poking them with his fork. 

“Listen, sprocket. You are going to eat at least three bites of that. And that’s the end of this discussion. When you decide you are willing to eat them, call me over and I’ll watch you eat them. Don’t consider hiding them, tossing them, or anything else.”

He reached over and cut three medium sized bites out of the zucchini and walked to the couch. 

“I’m not hungry no more,” Clint called from behind him.

“Anymore,” Bruce corrected. “And you better find room in your stomach.”

Bruce watched half of a movie before starting get a little ticked off that Clint was still not eating. He grumbled beneath his breath and stood to stare. 

“Clint, just eat them! It’s not going to hurt you. Stop being so damn stubborn!”

“No!” Clint answered, pushing the plate away. 

“Why? Why can’t you just eat it? It won’t hurt. You’re… exasperating me.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“Don’t try to distract me,” Bruce growled at him. 

Clint buried his face in his elbow. 

“Damn it, Clint! Just eat it!” Bruce pushed the plate until it was only half an inch from the boy.

“No!” the blonde shouted back, pushing the plate so hard that it smashed to the floor. 

Clint’s eyes widened and he scrambled out of his chair running for his room. 

Bruce didn’t chase him, he took ten deep breaths, blowing them out in huge huffs of air. He was not going to get angry with a nine year old.

Instead he spent a few minutes pushing the mess into a neat pile. Fortunately the plate hadn’t broken but now bits of lasagna and zucchini chunks were spread across the ground. 

He plated another piece of zucchini and left it on the table. 

The brunette went back to his seat on the couch. “Clint!” he called. “You need to come clean this up!” 

A half-hour later Clint crept down the hall, so silent he nearly startled Bruce when he peered around the corner into the family room, only one eye visible. Bruce just pointed towards the kitchen. 

“You have to clean up,” Bruce pointed. 

The boy warily jogged over to the mess and picked it up, wiping the floor and putting the plate in the sink. Eventually he came and stood ten feet from Bruce, boring a hole in the floor with his eyes. 

“You need to sit at the table and eat.” The boy turned and went back to the table even as Bruce stood to follow him. 

Bruce paced down the hall and paced back before sitting across from Clint at the kitchen table. “Okay, why won’t you eat this? Have you ever tried zucchini before?”

“M… my… Mom made zucchini a lot, I don’t like it.” Clint put his head on his arms and stared across at Bruce. 

The brunette sighed. His own head pillowed on his palms, mirroring Clint. “Can you just please, eat one? Eat one and we’ll forget all about this and I won’t make zucchini for six months.”

“They taste like beer,” Clint whined one more time, frowning as the plate was pushed towards him.

“They don’t taste like beer. Just try one… please?”

Clint picked one up with his fingers, looking at Bruce challengingly when he used his fingers rather than a fork. Bruce wasn’t willing to fight that battle right now and just nodded at Clint. The boy stuck the bit in his mouth and chewed quickly, swallowing with a gag and a shake of his head. He chugged what was left of his milk and kept shaking his head. 

“Thank you,” Bruce finally said, sighing. “Hot chocolate?”

Clint nodded, still gagging. 

Bruce smiled as he turned his back. He had picked his battle and won.


End file.
